Since 2022, AI capital investment has skyrocketed. But can AI capex reach $1 trillion by 2028, as our Equity Research analysts forecast? Labs are reporting rapid growth, and signs show AI demand spreading beyond the hyperscalers to sovereigns and non-tech enterprises. Yet practical barriers such as power supply, infrastructure timelines and the need for clear ROI could but the brakes on capex.

In episode 82 of The Flip Side, Brad Rogoff, Global Head of Research, and Tom O'Malley, Equity Research Analyst for US Semiconductors & Semiconductor Capital Equipment, debate whether today’s rapid AI adoption is enough to justify that level of capex or if real-world constraints will force expectations lower.

Listeners can learn more about this topic:

• Barclays Brief Ep 25: The cusp of a capex super cycle
• AI gets physical: Innovation meets opportunity

Clients of Barclays Investment Bank can read our latest reports by logging in to Barclays Live:

• Framework for Modeling AI Demand & Supply – Capex 'Peak' Likely in 2028
• Powering AI: Gas Turbines Could Make or Break AI Ambitions

Important Content Disclosures

Private credit has been a powerful growth engine for alternative asset managers, with business development corporations (BDCs) playing a central role. As AI adoption accelerates and software business models come under pressure, investors are concerned with how exposed these managers are to software and other tech-enabled business models that could be disrupted. In recent weeks, investors have sold down their positions, sending some alternative asset managers’ stock prices down roughly 25%. But is that selloff rational or not?

In episode 81 of The Flip Side, Brad Rogoff, our Global Head of Research, is joined by Ben Budish, our Equity Research Analyst who covers US Brokers, Asset Managers and Exchanges, to debate whether the recent selloff was justified. They discuss why AI disruption has become a focal point for markets, how valuation frameworks for alternative managers amplify volatility, and where risks may be overstated versus structurally real. The conversation also explores what this means for future growth across private credit, private equity and insurance channels, and where differentiation may emerge after an indiscriminate selloff.

Listeners can hear more on this topic on our sister podcast, Barclays Brief:

1. Software: In the AI storm

Clients of Barclays Investment Bank can read more on our view on equities with our latest reports on Barclays Live, including:

1. Barclays HY Software Agentic AI Disruption Risk in Focus
2. Software Is Not Dead, Just Changing
3. Widespread Exposure to Software Creates Uncertainty

Important Content Disclosures

After more than a decade of US equity dominance, international markets made a rare comeback in 2025. Europe, Japan, Emerging Markets and the UK outperformed, the majority of global equity flows went outside the US, and investors began to revisit long‑standing assumptions around US equities exceptionalism.

Was this simply a cyclical reset after years of US outperformance, or the start of a more durable shift in global equity allocation?

In this episode of The Flip Side, our Global Head of Research, Brad Rogoff, is joined by our Head of European Equity Strategy, Emmanuel Cau, to debate what drove last year’s rotation, whether it has further room to run, and how investors should think about diversification in 2026.

Clients of Barclays Investment Bank can read more on our view on equities with our latest reports on Barclays Live, including:

1. Chaotic, but resilient – February Chart Pack
2. Buy/Sell American

Important content disclosures